Associate Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy
Matt Hourihan joined AAU in May 2024. At AAU, Matt has primary responsibility for funding and policy issues related to the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as well as cross-cutting emerging research and technology issues. Matt shares responsibility for leadership of the CFR Innovation Task Force.
Prior to joining AAU, Matt served as Associate Director of R&D and Advanced Industry with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), where his focus areas included R&D investment policy, novel research models, energy and space innovation, and other topics.
Before joining FAS in May 2022, Hourihan directed the R&D Budget and Policy Program for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for over a decade, where he was a recognized expert in research investment policy and trends. His analysis and commentary were also featured in a range of major media including the Wall Street Journal, Science, Nature, The Atlantic, Forbes, The Hill, Politico, Scientific American, Eos, Vox, Bloomberg, and elsewhere.
His previous positions include serving as a clean energy policy analyst at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), where he focused on policy to accelerate energy innovation, and as Jan Schori Fellow at the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, a coalition of energy firms and utilities working to engage policymakers on energy and climate policy.
He earned a master’s degree in public policy with a focus on science and technology policy at George Mason University, and a B.A. in journalism from Ithaca College.